Caught Between Theory and Practice

Fatima Mohammadi is sick of hearing people tell her what she should and shouldn’t do because she’s a woman. She’s 19-years-old, she’s in the 11th grade and she wants to study at Kabul’s college for law and political science. She’s got the support of her parents, but that’s not enough for her to get the same kind of treatment that a young man in her same position would get.

"I’m convinced that we have to organize in order to win recognition of our rights," Mohammadi says. A few weeks back, she formed an association for young women and girls. "We have to instill in society what our rights actually are, that our rights are human rights," she says.

Daily life for young women

Mohammadi is a diminutive young woman, with a dimple and long black hair. She laughs and leans back and relaxes for what is going to be her first-ever radio interview. She breaths deeply and then she clenches her fist.

"The biggest problem we have is that we still don’t have safety. And that we still can’t move about freely," she explains. We really want to get involved in society, but there are still men everywhere who control us and put us in our place."

The activists then tell the story of a girl from their neighborhood who recently disappeared without a trace. Her parents haven’t offered any explanation. Is it possible they sold their daughter into marriage? They’ve just been silent. It’s been a month since the girl went missing, but Mohammadi doesn’t want to let up.

"For me, this is about human rights," she says. "It’s about the right to integrity, about the right of political participation and the right of freedom of expression. Those are essential rights for all people." At least in theory. "As long as women don’t have these rights, a girl can just disappear without ever turning up again without anyone caring."

Codifying human rights

Mohammadi says she has great hopes for the new constitution being debated by the Loya Jirga, the country’s traditional grand assembly. She says she wants a strong president who is directly elected by Afghans.

"I took part in the public survey about the constitution and filled out every question," she says. "The most important thing for me is that this constitution does not just remain a piece of paper. It must also be implemented." But she has one caveat: "I really hope that this constitution isn’t just valid in Kabul, but also everywhere else in Afghanistan. For those of us in the provinces, it will just remain a piece of paper -- especially if we don’t have a strong central government and if the local warlords aren’t disarmed."

Calling for a public discussion

Mohammadi pushes her white silk veil away from her forehead and crosses her legs. Beneath her high-necked coat, a pair of fine high-heeled shoes with silver ornaments peek out. The 19-year-old secondary school student pulls a letter out of her bag that she’s distributing to teachers, doctors and business people in the city. It’s an appeal to the elite to discuss the new constitution -- whenever possible.

"Most people don’t even know what’s in the draft constitution," she explains. "And many people have no idea what a constitution even is." She adds, "As long as we’re incapable of conveying the importance to people, we will continue to have a big problem in trying to rebuild our country. That’s why it's the duty of everyone who can read and write to work for the new constitution."